The Bet
by Emerald Ashes
Summary: "We all know Potter's had his eye on Evans for years. He's like a boy pulling his crush's pigtails, always playing pranks to get her attention. Besides, all that fighting and arguing must come from somewhere." "I could say the same thing about Potter and Snape," Slughorn pointed out. "That's hardly the same thing, Horace," McGonagall said. "Would you bet on that?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, yeah, yaoi...This is so not where I expected to end up when I started writing fanfiction a couple years ago. Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed, but I think this is cute and silly. Hopefully, you'll think so too. This began with the first scene as a one-off joke (thus the less-than-conventional pairing), but it quickly became a three-chapter fic with a short epilogue. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The scene depicted in Snape's worst memory is pushed back by a few weeks, occurring shortly before OWLs. This takes place two or three days afterwards.**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Taking a cat nap, Minerva?" Slughorn chortled, settling into one of the numerous chairs scattered across the Teacher's Lounge.

McGonagall glared at him through half-lidded eyes. "No," she hissed.

Slughorn made a mental note to update his will. He flashed an uneasy smile. "Feeling under the weather?"

The woman sighed, collapsing back into her seat. "No. Just exhausted. James Potter and Lily Evans will be the death of me."

"More pranks?"

"They've only been getting worse," McGonagall groaned. "I wish they'd just get together already and save me the headache."

Slughorn asked, "You actually believe that Evans and Potter are going to date?"

"Of course. We all know Potter's had his eye on her for years. He's like a boy pulling his crush's pigtails, always playing pranks to get her attention. Besides, all that fighting and arguing must come from somewhere."

"I could say the same thing about Potter and Snape," Slughorn pointed out.

"That's hardly the same thing, Horace," McGonagall said.

Slughorn tapped his flabby chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't be so sure. Potter's always seeking out Snape, talking about him with his friends, goading him. Why, I imagine he spends more time with him than Miss Evans, even though she's the one in his House."

McGonagall laughed. "Have you been dipping into your potion's stores again?"

He smiled in response. "Nothing more potent than a Headache Reliever. Still, I suspect I may be on to something. If those two hated each other even half as much as they let on, I dare say they'd both be dead by now."

"Snape isn't the one Potter's been asking out since third year," McGonagall said.

"Ah, but isn't it the tiniest bit suspicious that Potter – who could have half the girls in the school – would choose the only one who can't stand him? Not to mention the incident last year where young Potter and Black were found in a broom closet.

"Only _you _would listen to such ridiculous, student gossip. You're over-thinking things, old Slytherin that you are."

A glint entered Slughorn's eyes. "Would you bet on that?"

An excited voice interrupted as Madame Hooch bustled into the room. "Who's betting?"

McGonagall sighed, "No one's betting on anything, Rolanda."

"We're arguing over whether Potter's taken with Snape or Evans," Slughorn said.

"What, Black isn't even in the running?" Hooch cried. "Even after that thing in the broom closet, last year?"

"Enough! We are not going to talk about our student's love lives like a group of fourth years," McGonagall snapped, "and we certainly aren't going to bet on them. It's both unethical and against Albus' orders. You, in particular, should know that, Rolanda."

"Oh, that's only for Quidditch," Hooch said, "and that wouldn't have been a problem if the Defense Professor hadn't started hexing students."

"It's still unethical," she insisted.

"If you win, I'll do all your grading for a semester," Slughorn said.

McGonagall paused.

"And if I lose?" she asked.

Slughorn said, "Well, I certainly can't have you grading _my_ students' work. I taught you, my dear, and I recall your work at potions was dreadful, absolutely dreadful. All I ask is that you owe me a favor."

"I'd take the deal, Minerva," Hooch said.

"Fine," McGonagall huffed, "but only because there's no chance of you winning. Potter and Snape? Honestly!"

Slughorn simply chuckled.

* * *

Three Gryffindor girls walked down the busy hallway, chatting on their way to Potions Class. In the center of their group, Lily Evans waved her hands in agitated circles, her red hair in disarray, her uniform and satchel splattered with ink.

"If Potter doesn't let up, soon, I'm going to go insane. He booby-trapped the Girls' Staircase (when everyone knows I'm always the first down in the morning), set all my inkwells to explode, and, then, in Transfiguration, turned my hair into snakes. McGonagall fixed it, mostly, but I think there's still one in there," Lily groaned. "And that's just today! Honestly, of all the partners McGonagall could have foisted on me, why did it have to be that toerag?"

"If Potter paid that much attention to me, _I_ wouldn't complain," Mary MacDonald said.

"That's 'cause you're slutty," Grace Bones chirped.

Lily's lips pinched together disapprovingly. "You shouldn't say things like that."

Grace rolled her eyes, "Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Lils."

"She's just upset because she broke up with her boyfriend."

"Severus was not my boyfriend," Lily said.

"Uh-huh, sure he wasn't. You spent every single minute with the guy, defended him for six years against Potter's gang, and cried for hours after you two broke up, even though he was a total arse, because you were _friends_," Grace said.

"Yes. That's what friends do, they spend time with each other and care about each other," Lily ground out.

Mary chimed in. "Not to mention how you were always talking about him. 'Oh, Sev says, Sev thinks, Sev, Sev, Sev. You used that cutesy little pet name so much, even I almost called him it!"

Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair, eliciting a furious hiss as she hit a suspiciously scaly strand. "Okay, I'll admit that I thought about it last year when you two were so preoccupied with your boyfriends. I even asked Sev out, once, since we spend…spent so much time together, but he wasn't interested. He said I was like a sister to him."

"You're kidding," Mary said.

Grace cried, "Is he gay?!"

"Um…" Lily said.

"Oh my God, he is, isn't he?" Grace said.

"He…"

"He totally is! Oh, Lily, why didn't you tell us?"

Lily said, "It's his secret, I wasn't going to go telling it to half the school."

After a moment, the redhead added, "And you can't, either."

"Oh, come on, Lils, it's not like you're even still friends," Grace said.

"That doesn't mean I'm spreading his secrets around!"

Mary said, "Yeah, she's right. That would be pretty bitchy."

Grace huffed. "Oh, fine. Still, this is some pretty juicy gossip. I haven't heard anything this good since that thing last year with Potter and Black."

Lily gave a long-suffering sigh. "Are you really still talking about that?"

Mary giggled, gesturing towards the classroom door. "What else are we going to talk about, Potions?"

"At least there's some depth to that," Lily said, hurrying into the classroom.

Long tables stretched across the claustrophobic classroom, two stools set down by each empty cauldron. Lost in thought (mainly concerning her gossipy classmates and Potter's idiocy), Lily was half-way into the room before she noticed Severus Snape at their customary table. He glanced up, black eyes miserable. All at once, she froze, feeling strangely guilty. He was more bigoted and immoral with each passing day, and Lily couldn't stay friends with someone like that. Still, he was Sev, and it killed her to see him hurt.

Averting her eyes, Lily immediately turned and sat at the closest desk.

Grace hissed, "You're in Potter's spot."

She scowled. "Good. I'm glad. That obnoxious prat can go sit someplace else."

Buried in her frazzled locks, a transfigured snake hissed in agreement.

* * *

For a moment, Severus Snape was certain Lily was going to sit next to him. Her eyes fiery, she would start ranting about Potter or the impossibility of doing well on her History of Magic OWL with an oblivious ghost as a professor, and everything would be back to normal.

Maybe, if he was particularly lucky, his humiliation and subsequent idiocy would turn out to be a bad dream. Of course, Severus was never so fortunate. Lily's green eyes landed on him and her look of annoyance froze. She paused and went to Potter's desk, no doubt hurrying to the handsome git's side now that she'd rid herself of her pathetic excuse for a friend.

Lily didn't look at him again, though her vapid friends stared as if he were a particularly fascinating insect. He glared back. The MacDonald girl looked down, but Bones had the audacity to wink and grin, as if they were friends…which they were not, nor had they ever been. Severus had only one friend, and he had driven her away. As Severus pondered the decimation of the one good thing in his life, Potter and his cronies sauntered into the classroom – nearly late, as usual.

They were snickering, Sirius elbowing Remus in the ribs. When he noticed Lily perched in his normal seat, James paused in surprise. In a moment, though, the smirk was back on his face and he said, "Why, Evans, if you wanted me to sit in your lap, all you had to do was ask!"

Lily glared. "Shove off, Potter."

"You're the one in _my _seat. Why should I go anywhere?"

"It's just a chair. You don't own it." she snorted.

Sirius grinned, saying, "He's James Potter. He owns the whole damned school."

"Well, _I'm_ not moving," she said.

James glanced around, his eyes lighting up as he noticed the empty seat next to Severus. He strode down the aisle, calling over his shoulder, "Fine, you win. Sirius, keep the lady company for me, will you?"

Sirius saluted, chirping, "Yes sir!"

He fell into the seat beside Lily, slinging an arm across the back of her chair. Sirius quickly removed said arm when a small snake emerged from her hair to snap at his sleeve.

Meanwhile, James sat down next to Severus, with a sickeningly friendly "Hullo, Snape!"

His jaw clenched, Severus set about ignoring the other boy. James leaned over, frowning. "Hello? Hi? Good morning? Come on, Snape. When someone greets you, it's only polite to talk back."

Severus remained silent, arranging the ingredients in his potion's kit in perfect lines. James snatched a handful of dandelion root, dangling them in front of his face. His smirk exploded into a toothy grin under Severus' glare. "Are these important?"

"Give them back, Potter," Severus hissed.

To Severus' surprise, the brunette did so. With feigned innocence, Potter said "All you had to do was ask."

Severus turned away, attempting to ignore Potter's continued staring. What? Did he want a pat on the head for acting like a reasonable human being, for once?

Before Potter could further torment him, Slughorn bustled into the room. "Hello, hello! Today, we shall be brewing the S…" He paused when he noticed Severus and Potter sitting in the front of the room. "…Amortentia."

Lily called out, "But, sir, isn't that a Sixth Year potion?"

"Indeed it is, Miss Evans, but I'm certain you can handle the challenge. Pair up, now!" Slughorn declared.

Severus growled as the rotund professor waddled past, calling a hearty hello to the infuriatingly cheerful Potter. He glared at his Potions' partner. "You will prepare ingredients. You will not add anything to the cauldron, you will not touch the cauldron, and you will not put your disgusting hands within a foot of the cauldron. Is that clear?"

"Geez, Snape. I'm not that bad at potions."

"I've seen your pathetic attempts at brewing," Severus sneered.

James rolled his eyes but walked off to grab the ingredients. They continued to work together fairly peacefully for the next several minutes, much to the disappointment of several students who had hoped for a fistfight and an early dismissal.

Severus sprinkled powdered pixie wings into the cauldron, quickly stirring the potion six times counterclockwise, before turning his attention to James.

He growled, "Merlin, Potter, you're supposed to dice the apricot blossoms, not butcher them."

He snatched the ingredients away, angrily fixing the ingredients. James quickly found himself with nothing to do. According to the book, the maple leaves should be added after two minutes. It had definitely been two minutes, James thought, and Severus was busy preparing ingredients. Besides, it wasn't like he had anything else to do. Tentatively, he scooped up the three maple leaves and held them over the cauldron. He had just begun to uncurl his fingers when Severus grabbed his hand.

"Don't you dare add those, yet," Severus said. James seemed strangely out of it, even more brainless than usual.

"Oh," James said softly, "Sorry."

Severus quickly released James' hand. "Add them now."

James dropped the leaves, but his hand hovered in the air, his face red. After a few moments of blessed silence from the seat next to him, Severus glanced over. A quiet Potter could only be a bad thing. Finding him frozen, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth and his eyes staring blankly, he snapped, "Back to work, Potter."

"Yes sir!" His voice was hardly even sarcastic. Potter was being strangely obedient, Severus noted. It was disturbing.

Slughorn bustled through the room, chuckling and nodding. "A little pale, Nott. Bit of a heavy hand with the pixie dust, eh? Otherwise, very good."

He meandered over to Severus and James' potion. "Lovely color," he pronounced. Slughorn leaned into the cauldron, sniffing and surreptitiously dropping something inside. "The scent is off, though."

Slughorn quickly leaned back. "I'd step away from this one. I think it might…"

The potion shot upward, and _through_ the stone ceiling. A yowl echoed from floors above.

"…explode."

He peered upward, shouting "Terribly sorry about that, Minerva!"

Severus stared in disbelief as gold liquid dripped down from the ruined ceiling. "That's impossible! It was perfect…"

Realization widened his dark eyes and he whirled around to shout, "You! You must have sabotaged it."

James threw up his hands defensively. "The only thing I added was the maple leaves."

Slughorn said, "Now, now, I don't believe this was sabotage, just a case of bad ingredients or a simple mistake…"

"I did not make a mistake."

Slughorn smiled. "Then you can brew it again tonight, at eight o'clock."

Severus said, "You're giving me detention over one of Potter's ridiculous pranks?"

"Hardly a detention, my boy, just a chance to salvage your grade, and Mr. Potter will be coming, as well."

James looked altogether too happy at the prospect of being alone with his favorite punching-bag and a bunch of explosive ingredients. Severus said dully, "Joy."

He had no friends, Lily wouldn't even look at him, and his Friday night would be spent with an obviously plotting Potter. Severus wondered how his life could get worse.

* * *

James paced the Fifth Year Boys' Dormitory, whistling and occasionally throwing high kicks at the air. Sirius leaned back as he tossed a mock punch in his direction, and a particularly clumsy move left the brunette nearly falling onto Remus where he lounged on his bed.

Remus chided from behind his Transfiguration book, "You're going to put a hole in the wall."

"So what? If I do, I'll fix it with magic," James said.

"Or we could put a glamour up and hide things in it," Sirius said.

"Ooh, good idea."

Remus set the book aside, suspecting it would be some time before he could get back to studying. Being the only responsible one in the dorm could be a pain, sometimes. Peter was level-headed enough, but the boy was terrified of conflict, leaving Remus to talk his other friends out of their worst schemes. "You're not putting a hole in our wall. If you're so bored, then study."

Sirius laughed. "You're no fun, Moony."

"This isn't about fun; it's about not failing our OWLs," Remus sighed. It was a pity Peter was in the Library to find information about boggarts for their Defense essay. He would have lent Remus his support, albeit mostly through nods and mumbles.

He continued, "Can you at least stop bouncing around? It's distracting."

"Can't," James said, "too excited."

"Over that detention you got with Snape?"

James grinned, whirling about as he reached the door to continue his pacing. "Yup, I'll get to see him for hours. Also, he spoke to me today without me having to prank him first, and he held my hand."

"You are such a girl," Sirius said, "and Snape, really?"

James said, "It's been five years. How are you not used to this, by now?"

"Because he's Snape!"

Remus interrupted, hoping to avoid a rehashing of _that_ argument, "James, he only grabbed your hand so you wouldn't ruin the potion."

"I know that! But he held on for five seconds. It definitely counts."

"A total girl," Sirius declared.

"Ah, shut it, Padfoot." A mischievous glint entered James' eye. "Unless you want me to go down to the Common Room and tell them what _really_ happened in that broom closet?"

"We said we would never speak of that again!"

"Actually, _you_ said that. I never agreed."

Remus inquired, "Just what did happen, anyway? I've heard some crazy rumors."

"None of them are true," Sirius said, "and I'm not talking about it."

"I won't, either, if you shut up about the Snape thing," James said.

"You first." James glared in response, and Sirius huffed. "Fine, but I still think you're crazy."

Remus nipped the reoccurring argument in the bud. "I think you're both crazy."

If he had to hear Sirius and James debate the romantic merits of Snape one more time, _he _would go crazy. At James' mock offended look, he said, "and, James, you'll be late to the detention if you don't hurry up."

James cast a Tempus, cursing when the golden numbers showed the time. He scrambled over to his bed, grabbed his potions' book and supplies from where they'd been haphazardly thrown (along with all his other class materials), and shoved them into his bag.

He split his attention between fastening the clasp and sending last-minute instructions to his friends. "Sirius, you know that nice little surprise we left for Evans?"

"The explosive one?" Sirius replied with a predatory smile.

James winked. "It'll go off at nine sharp, so be in the Common Room, and see if you can borrow Frank's camera."

Remus frowned, discomfort at his friends' actions gathering in his chest. "You shouldn't be so hard on Lily. What is this, the third prank today?"

"Fourth," Sirius chirped.

Remus winced. "That's just cruel."

"She hurt Snape," James said stubbornly.

"You hung him upside-down so that half the school saw his underpants."

"And I feel bad about that," he said, "but at least I didn't pretend to be his friend only to leave him."

"You're just jealous he likes her better than you," Sirius snorted.

"Broom. Closet. Incident," James hissed.

"Woah, no need to fight dirty, Prongs. Never said I didn't approve. Evans is stuck-up and her reactions to pranks are hilarious. I'm behind you one hundred percent."

Remus couldn't resist poking fun at his friends. "You're behind him? Is that what happened in the broom closet?"

"No!"

James laughed, lingering in the doorway. "Bye, guys. Remember to take lots of pictures of Evans screaming."

"See ya, James. Try not to faint if the git's hair drips grease on you!"

Remus waved absentmindedly, picking up his book and studiously ignoring Sirius' shouts. Hopefully, he could finish the chapter before Sirius dragged him down to watch their latest prank.

* * *

**Merry Christmas! And remember that reviews, favs, and follows make the best presents. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm terrible at remembering to put up disclaimers, tradition or no...but I still own nothing.  
**

* * *

Chapter 2

James put on his most charming grin, throwing open the door to the potion's room. "Hi Professor! Am I late?"

Slughorn chortled, "Not at all. Not at all. Perfectly punctual, to the minute. Mr. Snape was just setting up the cauldron."

James sauntered over to the table, setting his bag down beside Severus – who was glaring down at the cauldron as if it had murdered his family. Feeling cocky, he said, "Hi Severus."

The Slytherin immediately stood up, addressing Slughorn. "I wish to leave. I do not care if I receive a zero for the assignment."

James winced and made a note not to call the other boy by his first name. Not for a while, at least. He was used to Severus ignoring him, insulting him, and attacking him, but to flat out leave? That was the last thing James wanted.

Slughorn frowned. "I'm afraid that's impossible. Professor McGonagall threw quite the fit…ehem, I mean to say that she was _deeply _displeased by the results of your potions mishap and demanded appropriate punishment. While this may not be quite the detention she expects, no detention at all is out of the question. Should Mr. Potter return to his dorm, she might assign you both more unpleasant tasks."

"Then keep Potter. Merlin knows he could use the tutoring," Severus sneered.

"Now, now, I wouldn't want to be accused of favoritism."

Severus' eye twitched. Slughorn continued, "So, you see, it's really far more pleasant to stay here and brew this delightful potion. Before you begin, would you like some tea?"

"No," Snape hissed.

James said, "Sure."

Slughorn grabbed a pot off one of the cauldron fires, and poured himself and James a cup. The brunette grabbed his teacup, immediately downing half the liquid, uncaring as it scalded his tongue. There was a strong taste to it, almost spicy.

He took another sip. "This is really good! What's in this?"

"My mother's recipe, chock full of secret ingredients," Slughorn said, lips curled into a smug smile. "Now, best to get started on that potion or we'll be here 'till dawn. If you'll excuse me, I need to grab some papers while you prepare."

Slughorn waddled out of the room and into his attached office. He hadn't touched his tea, which was really a shame. The stuff was delicious.

This time, Severus stood to gather the ingredients. James watched him, frowning. Maybe Severus didn't trust him? Right, admittedly that would make sense, considering their history…and the explosion earlier that day, even though that wasn't his fault (for once). Still, it stung a bit.

James tamped down on the guilt that had been eating at him since their confrontation a couple days before, the one which had ended with Severus de-robed (and not in a good way) and abandoned by his long-time friend. Of course, Severus was probably better off without the pushy girl, but James still knew he'd screwed up.

He shook his head, telling his conscience to shut up and let the rest of him have a little fun. He was alone with Severus, after all. His eleven-year-old self would have killed him for moping away this opportunity. As he crushed a handful of fairy wings, James watched Severus. The other boy seemed quite intent upon ignoring him, his dark eyes kept firmly forward or to the left, but never once straying towards James.

Severus eyed a vial of water, squinting slightly until his eyes were nothing but long lashes, then carefully poured the vial into their cauldron where it splashed up, a few drops dampening Severus' sleeve. The other boy never removed his robe, James noticed, although he thought it was easier brewing without the possibility of your robe catching fire or dragging in the potion.

With an elegant flick of his wrist, Severus set a fire beneath the cauldron and smoothly turned away to begin dicing the apricot blossoms. His lips frowned lightly as he worked, though whether that was a result of deep thought, lingering annoyance over Slughorn's decision, or unhappiness with James' continued presence was anyone's guess. Oddly enough, James liked to think it was the last one. At least that meant Severus hadn't completely forgotten him.

Severus paused in his dicing to add the first ingredient, and then returned to his previous task without missing a beat. It was amazing how he could turn hours of brewing into a single, fluid movement.

"Your ineptitude never ceases to astound me, Potter," Severus sneered.

James blinked. "Huh?"

Severus just growled, storming to the supply closet. James glanced down, realizing that most of the fairy wings he'd been grinding had ended up on his shirt. He never had been any good at multi-tasking; there was a reason he'd never cut it as a Seeker, after all. A muttered Evanesco did absolutely nothing to the mess, and the sparkling powder clung stubbornly to his shirt. That would be great for a prank, James mused.

Severus had just returned with fresh ingredients when Slughorn hurried back into the classroom. He said, "I have to go for a couple hours. Something of an emergency's occurred upstairs."

"Should we leave?" Severus asked eagerly.

"With a potion half-brewed? Better to stay and see it out. You're both old enough to supervise yourselves for a while. Just set the finished potion on my desk and I'll grade it in the morning. Now, I really must be going. Goodnight."

Slughorn nearly ran from the room, closing the door firmly behind him. He was barely gone when Severus said, "You can leave, Potter."

"Huh?"

"I don't need your assistance or presence. So leave."

James forced a laugh. "Nah, I don't think I'll do that. I like it down here. Think ole' Sluggy'll mind if I steal his tea?"

Severus glared, turning his attention back to the potion. James felt his smile drop. He wandered over to nab Slughorn's tea, glancing up at the new "skylight" their potion's mishap had created. The dungeon classroom seemed a little brighter for it, and, if James squinted, he could make out the Transfiguration classroom's ceiling.

He wandered back over to Severus, observing and sipping his tea. Again, Severus had fallen into his brewing, and he didn't even notice James' gaze. Watching Severus glide around the room, so calm and confident, guilt gathered in James' stomach. The contrast to his usual appearance was almost painful, and James knew it was his fault that the dark-haired boy was usually so miserable. He'd tormented him. He'd humiliated him. He'd destroyed Severus' longest friendship, his only friendship so far as James could see.

He was an idiot.

The words flew out of his lips without bothering to ask his brain's permission. "I'm sorry."

Remembering the other boy's presence, Severus' face fell back into its well-worn sneer. "No need to apologize for your spectacular idiocy and inability to brew as well as a one-armed First Year. I expected as much."

James said, "I'm not apologizing for that…It was your fault, anyway."

"My fault?" Severus growled.

"Yes," he said irritably. "You're very distracting."

"How_ unfortunate _that the act of stirring can so easily steal your attention," Severus said.

"It's not the way you stir, it's the way you move," James snapped.

He paused, quite certain he hadn't meant to say that. Shrugging it off as a side-effect of spending too much time around Severus (which always seemed to prompt his worst decisions), he continued. "But that's not the point. I'm trying to say that I'm sorry for what happened a couple days ago. I crossed the line."

"You crossed the line?" Severus sneered.

"Yeah," James muttered. "I did. And I'm sorry."

"How sweet," Severus said. "You can make it up to me by _leaving_."

"No thanks," James said. "I'm pretty comfy here."

Severus turned to focus on the potion, though his flared nostrils and violent movements showed his anger clearly enough. He brought a whole new meaning to the phrase _crushing_ fairy wings. It was a wonder there was enough left to create the Amortentia.

Boredom settled around James as he sipped Slughorn's tea and watched Severus ignore him. The Slytherin wouldn't even look in James' direction...again. Frustrated, James poked at his side, but – to his disappointment – Severus didn't grab his hand or even throw him a glare. He simply dodged and continued stirring the now-golden liquid. His reaction to the next fourteen pokes was remarkably similar, although the vein in his neck was growing to what had to be an unhealthy size.

After a few minutes, Severus relaxed slightly, removing the stirrer from the cauldron and extinguishing the fire. He leaned in to tentatively sniff the potion.

Finally, James snapped, "Stop ignoring me!"

Severus still didn't look at him, merely hissing. "What, Potter, can't stand it when everyone isn't paying attention to you?"

"No, just you." James definitely hadn't meant to say that aloud. He wondered if one of the ingredients in Slughorn's tea was alcohol. If so, the rotund professor was a lot cooler than he'd thought.

Severus looked away from the potion for the first time in several minutes. "What?"

Ah, well, in for a penny in for your entire fortune (that was how the saying went, right? It was something like that…). "You've always ignored me, even before we were sorted into rival Houses. I tried to be your friend, and you wouldn't even look at me."

Severus said. "You were mocking me."

"No, I wasn't. I even tried again the next week, and the week after that."

"You were obviously bothering Lily."

"I was bothering you," James insisted, "It's not my fault that you and Lily were together every time I had an opportunity to say hi."

Severus said, "Ah, so you torment all your friends, then? Destroy their books? Hex their feet?"

"I…look, it escalated, okay? The first time was an accident. I only planned to hit Lily, but you were standing so close to her that it hit you, too. I felt really, really bad about it, but then you started shouting. You called me 'a pathetic excuse for a human being that would be better put to use as a footstool.' You noticed me. So I did it again. After a while, you stopped reacting. So I started throwing in some taunts, making the pranks more vicious, that sort of thing. Anything so you would look at me."

Severus raised a skeptical eyebrow, leaning against the table. "Why would you even care if I noticed you?"

"Because…" James shook his head, biting his tongue to hold back the words threatening to spill out. Instead, he gestured towards the cooling Amortentia. "What do you smell?"

Severus snapped, "That's none of your business, Potter."

James leaned over the golden liquid, allowing the scents it carried to fill his every breath. "I smell brooms, the air at the top of the pitch, sandalwood, potions ingredients, and the dungeons. The first two are just things I like, but the last three…they all sort of mix together, and they…they smell a lot like you. I fancy you. Always have."

Severus Snape glared. "Really, Potter? This must be your most ridiculous prank, yet."

James' eyes widened. "This isn't a prank! I'm being honest."

"Right. Sure you are. James Potter" – he stopped to laugh – "fancies me." He ladled some of the Amortentia into a vial and scribbled his name on it.

"I do!"

"And what about Lily?"

James looked befuddled. "What about her?"

"You've asked her out weekly since Third Year."

"Oh, that" – James waved his hand dismissively – "I just do that because it pisses her off."

Severus stalked over to Slughorn's desk, setting the vial of Amortentia upon it. "Well, as fascinating as this has been, I really must be getting back to reality."

No, no, no! This was all wrong. It had been such a relief to let out the words that had been clinging to his tongue since he first saw the dark-eyed boy in First Year. It was almost as if a hand that had been crushing his organs had finally let go. But he'd screwed up, again, like he always seemed to with Severus. Then, he had an idea.

"Wait!" James shouted. "I'll prove it to you."

He scrambled into Slughorn's supply cabinet, pawing at the neatly labeled vials until – at last – he found the right one. James rushed back into the classroom, where, to his relief, Severus was still standing. James shoved the vial towards his face so that the label faced him. He huffed, "Veritaserum. It makes you tell the truth. What's the right dosage?"

Severus' face was unreadable and his voice equally so. "Three drops."

James grinned, carefully tilting the vial and letting three drops hit his tongue. All of a sudden, his head felt like it would explode. He knew so many things and everything hurt and he needed to tell the truth. He needed to tell _everything._

James Potter's voice went dead, and every thought in his head poured out in slow, emotionless words.

"I hate Lily Evans. She gets your attention without even trying. I'm still angry at her for abandoning you. I wouldn't have, if I were her. I'm angry at myself, too. I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm angry at myself for a lot of things.

"I made a map of the school that shows where people are, and sometimes I like to watch where you go. I prefer to watch you in person, though. You have nice eyes. I wish you had shorter hair so I'd see them more often, and maybe it wouldn't be so greasy.

"Part of me likes hurting you because you hurt me so often that it only seems fair. I don't like that part of me much. I don't think this how Veritaserum works but I'm not sure because I copied Peter's essay when Slughorn assigned it last month."

"Of course you did," Severus sneered, "and that is _not _how Veritaserum works. It should require a question."

James continued. "I copy Peter's essays a lot. He's way smarter than people give him credit for. He's the only one who doesn't yell at me for liking you. Sirius hates Slytherins. Remus yells at him for being prejudiced; he doesn't understand how Sirius can be so good about him being a werewolf while hating other dark things. I wasn't supposed to say that. Remus says that I'm infatuated with you, but I think he's wrong."

James wanted so desperately to stop talking, particularly after spilling his friend's biggest secret, but the pain in his head was overwhelming and he could barely _think._

Finally, he said, "I think I'm in love with you."

His brain still feeling like a troll's piñata, James Potter passed out.

* * *

Severus Snape had often fantasized about breaking Potter's nose. In none of those fantasies was Potter unconscious, and Severus had the pleasure of feeling it break beneath his balled fist rather than watching the boy fall and hearing a distant crunch. Potter certainly hadn't declared his love for him in those fantasies. He shoved that thought aside.

"Potter, get up," he growled. When that – predictably – didn't work, Severus nudged him with his foot. Hard. It was more of a kick, really. The Gryffindor didn't even moan. That was concerning since Potter never gave up an opportunity to share his aches with the entire world.

Severus glared, and, cautiously, shoved Potter onto his side. Potter could have been a different person with his nose half-flattened, twisted glasses on the floor, and blood partially covering-up his moronic face. He almost looked like someone Severus would not want to strangle in his sleep. Not that he would actually do that, mind you. Severus wasn't against killing Potter, per se, but doing so in a locked room where he was bound to be caught was just about the opposite of cunning. Besides, considering recent revelations…well, it was possible that Potter was not quite the scum of the earth he had originally assumed.

Still, he couldn't help but snort when he thought of Potter's revelations which were, in all likelihood, the product of some grand scheme. Love, really? Ludicrous.

Severus glanced down his long nose at the unconscious boy only inches from its tip. Under the brunette's broken nose, a pair of thin lips parted slightly. The scene brought to mind images of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

Severus deadpanned, "If you expect me to kiss you, you're going to be _sorely_ disappointed."

Satisfied that Potter had not accidentally killed himself (at least so far), Severus pocketed the broken glasses, abruptly stood, and strode to the classroom door. He grabbed the handle, but it wouldn't budge. Locked. Frowning, he tried an Alahomora. The door remained firmly in place.

Severus slammed against it, shouting "Help! There's an injured student, here!"

But it was nearly curfew, Filch preferred to stalk the upper floors, and Slughorn – the only teacher to spend any time in the dungeons – had disappeared to Merlin knew where.

After a few minutes, a growling Severus whipped around, pacing.

"Sycophantic, lazy, oblivious, favoritistic, bastard," he growled, hoping that the insults would somehow find Slughorn. It was his fault that Severus was locked in a room with Potter.

It could be worse, of course. Potter could be awake.

He glanced at the brunette, still unconscious on the floor. Sweat dampened his face and clothes, and he shivered against the icy floor. He only wore a T-shirt and pants, though anyone with half a brain would bring robes to the always cold classroom. Typical, arrogant Potter.

Sighing, Severus dropped his cloak over the pathetic figure. Loathe as he was to share clothes with his worst enemy (there wasn't a Scourgify in the world strong enough to clean that away), it was necessary.

"Lest you think I'm being kind," he drawled. "I would like to inform you that Warming Charms only prevent you from feeling the cold, but do nothing against hypothermia. I presume that you do not know this because I highly doubt you pay enough attention in Charms to remember such _trivial_ details."

It had about the same effect as glaring at a wall. Of course, Potter had never been affected by his attacks – verbal or physical. They seemed to roll off of him like water, completely failing to affect his arrogant smirk. Severus had often suspected that Potter held back laughter during his tirades, but that additional humiliation merely fueled his anger.

He returned to the door, shouting again. Perhaps he would get lucky. Luck, however, had never been a factor in Severus Snape's life, particularly where Potter was concerned.

A soft, wet huffing filled the room, and – when Severus turned around – Potter had vomited. He wrinkled his nose, disgusted, but his frown deepened. That, coupled with his other symptoms, was worrisome. Perhaps Potter was allergic to Veritaserum or had a ludicrously low tolerance for the potion. Either way, he needed medical attention.

Severus cast a blasting hex at the door, and it didn't even dent the wood. Considering some of the explosions it had withstood, he probably shouldn't have been surprised. He cursed. "Bloody Slughorn, can't even stay in your office for ten bloody…"

He paused, racing to the office door. Miraculously, it was unlocked, and a pot of floo powder sat on the mantel. He lit the fireplace with a muttered spell, and threw a handful of powder into the flames. Shoving his head inside, he called for Madame Pomfrey.

No answer. She must have been treating a patient.

He growled and sprinted into the classroom. Crouching beside Potter, Severus hauled the other boy up so that his arms were slung over Severus' shoulders. When he stood, Potter's feet dragged on the floor. Though it only lasted a couple minutes, it was a long walk back to the floo.

Potter was heavy on his back, his head lolling across Severus' shoulder like a jack-in-the-box with a bent spring. His breath could have killed a Hippogriff, and his hair itched against Severus' neck. However, he was also very aware of Potter's warmth (especially welcome since Potter still wore his cloak) and the occasional brush of skin-to-skin contact.

When they finally stepped into the floo and the flames rushed around them in a green blur, Potter's arms tightened around him. It was no more than a reflex, of course, a confused clinging as the loud fire half-woke him. Nevertheless, it was not entirely unpleasant.

Off-balance, Severus fell out of the floo with a crash. Startled, Madame Pomfrey hurried inside to investigate.

"What happened?" she asked immediately.

He shrugged Potter off his back, absently noting that it was a pity to lose the warmth. He answered concisely. "We were in detention with Professor Slughorn, but he left. Potter drank Veritaserum, spoke very quickly, and fell unconscious. It's been about ten minutes. He's been shivering, sweating, and vomiting."

Pomfrey swept Potter into a bed, wand flicking over him and leaving his body softly glowing, though it faded almost as soon as she incanted her next spell. With a swish of the nurse's wand, a paper airplane flew from the Hospital Wing. Meanwhile, she hurried to her storeroom for a purging potion. After quickly massaging it down his throat, a thin coat of slime oozed from his pores. A quick episkey fixed his nose, and, with a cleansing charm, he looked like himself again, if a bit pale.

At last, she leaned back, sighing. Still, Potter slept.

Hesitantly, Severus asked, "Is he alright?"

"Yes, he should be fine. Why, for the love of Circe, did you take so long to bring him here?" she demanded.

"The door was locked. We couldn't get out."

"What?!" she shrieked. "What was that old fool thinking?"

Slughorn hurried into the room, panting. "Your message said a student was injured?"

Pomfrey turned on him. "James Potter. What's this about you locking students in your classroom?"

He chuckled nervously. "I'm afraid I had some personal business to attend to. I locked the door accidentally. Force of habit, you know."

She harrumphed. Severus interrupted, "What precisely is wrong with him?"

"Veritaserum overdose."

His eyes widened, and he cried, "But he only used three drops!"

"There's a reason that potion is regulated, young man," she lectured. "Not all people respond well to its effects, and, coupled with other potions, it can be quite deadly."

Slughorn coughed. "Yes, yes, it's very dangerous. Not at all safe for use. Certainly not to be mixed with anything."

"What could have possibly compelled him to take it, in the first place?"

Severus winced, his eyes downcast. "He was attempting to prove something to me."

Potter had truly been desperate to prove his affections. Of course, his reaction to the potion shed doubt on the legitimacy of his confession. It was possible it had the exact opposite effect, causing Potter to ramble lies instead.

A sudden curiosity prompted Severus to ask, "Madame, could Potter lie while under the potion? He said some strange things."

Madame Pomfrey frowned. "Like what?"

"He…well, he called Remus Lupin a werewolf."

She paused for a moment, before ordering, "You will not tell that to anyone."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Well, that answered that question.

Slughorn interrupted, "Poppy, would you mind terribly if we were to speak in your office? I have some information that may help your treatment of Potter."

The two retreated, leaving Severus by Potter's bed. Since he hadn't been dismissed and had no particular interest in crossing the castle after curfew and facing Filch's wrath, he settled into the chair beside Potter's bed. Yes, he could have gone somewhere without a view of Potter's face, but he was too tired to keep walking. There was certainly no other reason he would spend an unnecessary moment in Potter's presence.

Potter was pale, his usually tan skin somewhat waxy. The boy's broken glasses still rested in Severus' pocket, and, when he leaned forward, he could still see the slightest tilt to Potter's nose. The only piece of him that remained its usual animated self was his dark hair which stubbornly defied gravity.

As Severus watched Potter sleep, a twinge of guilt hit him, though he quickly squashed it down. After all, it wasn't as if he suggested Potter's idiotic idea, merely condoned it. If Severus hadn't told him the correct dosage, Potter probably would have downed the entire bottle. That certainly would have killed him.

The thought was not as pleasant as it might have been a day earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Minerva McGonagall paced Madame Pomfrey's office, still wearing her nightgown.

She had been called down several minutes earlier with the news that James Potter had landed himself in the Hospital Wing yet again. Dumbledore had arrived shortly afterwards and hadn't even offered her a lemon drop – a sure sign of trouble. Once they had all arrived, Madame Pomfrey left to check on her patient, grumbling about spiked tea, unethical professors, and enormous morons.

Slughorn nervously explained the situation, falling uneasily silent as McGonagall leapt from her seat and prowled about the room.

She finally shouted, "You_ poisoned_ one of my students!"

"Now, Minerva, I would hardly call a_ small_ dose of a _minor_ truth serum 'poison,' and, really, I could have hardly anticipated him drinking twice what I gave him and then breaking into my stores to dose himself with _Veritaserum_, of all things…"

"An illegal potion which you were keeping within easy reach of unsupervised students," McGonagall said.

"Restricted, not illegal," Slughorn argued.

"Restricted to the Ministry, Horace. Your possession of the potion was certainly illegal," Dumbledore said.

"That law's bound to be overturned any day, now."

McGonagall thundered, "You still fed him a potion, without his knowledge or consent, left him alone with a student he had _known_ problems with, locked the door, and were completely unaware of Mr. Potter's accident until Mr. Snape flooed to the Hospital Wing and Poppy called you. Considering their history, it's a miracle Snape didn't just leave Potter on the floor."

"I told you that there was more to their relationship than met the eye," Slughorn said.

McGonagall's eyes blazed. "Enough! You should be fired for this."

"Now, now, no need to be hasty. Technically, I've done nothing wrong. There are no rules about supervising detentions or dosing students with potions…or poisoning them, come to think of it."

"Why would there need to be? It goes without saying!"

Dumbledore said, "An unfortunate oversight. I'll bring up addendums to the laws at the next Board meeting."

"You can call them the Slughorn Laws. You've always wanted something named after you. Haven't you, Horace?" McGonagall scoffed.

"Would it help if I told you I was terribly sorry for the whole thing?" Slughorn said.

"No!" McGonagall shouted.

"Ah. Hm. Well. I suppose I'm due for retirement in any case. My 95th birthday is coming up, you know."

Dumbledore sighed. "That would be best. There's no need to trouble the students with this incident. They have enough trouble trusting their professors after Professor Malay's attacks a few years ago."

"I still can't believe you kept him until the end of exams." McGonagall sighed. "He was obviously unhinged."

"I'm certain he was simply overzealous about Rolanda's gambling ring. It had grown rather competitive, if I recall. Yes, it's a good thing I put a stop to such things." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as Slughorn coughed violently and McGonagall stopped quite suddenly in her pacing.

"Ehem, yes. A very wise decision," Slughorn said, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Which reminds me," Dumbledore said, "would you mind taking the Defense position, before you retire?"

"Gladly," Slughorn said. "No trouble with that at all."

"Albus!" McGonagall cried. "He _poisoned_ a student."

"It was an accident, Minerva. I doubt he'll make the same mistake in the next year or so. Besides, the only applicant this year is an accused murderer. Horace is far preferable."

McGonagall pinched her lips and spoke in clipped tones. "I should check on my student."

"Indeed. Goodnight Minerva – and to you, as well, Horace."

McGonagall stormed from Madame Pomfrey's office, Slughorn hurrying after her. She parted the curtains around Potter's bed, pausing when she noticed a familiar figure asleep in the visitor's chair.

"Is that Severus Snape?" she asked. There was always the possibility she had finally gone mad. Insanity seemed to be catching.

Slughorn smirked. "Yes. He was apparently quite concerned about Mr. Potter. He refused to leave until we'd diagnosed the problem, and he was – erm – rather distressed to find out the cause was Veritaserum overdose."

"I see. You didn't dose this one with a love potion-"

"Absolutely not. That would be cheating. I won purely through honest means."

"Dosing the students with truth serum and locking them together in a classroom is hardly honest, and you certainly didn't win."

"I will when they start dating. I can't imagine it will take long."

McGonagall sighed. "The bet is off, Horace. We never should have made it in the first place, Dumbledore knows, and I'm _far_ too young to retire."

Slughorn didn't object, and there was a moment of silence before McGonagall said, "We should wake him."

"I'd rather not. They look terribly comfortable."

"We've meddled enough in our students' love lives," she argued, although her voice stayed soft enough that neither boy woke.

Slughorn said, "Yes, we have…If Poppy wants him gone, he'll go. Otherwise, let's leave them be."

Silently assenting, McGonagall turned away, muttering, "Defense Against the Dark Arts, really, Horace? Have you even picked up a wand in the last fifty years?"

He chuckled, "I can't be much worse than last year's professor. I doubt she picked up a wand in her entire life."

Their bickering faded away as they disappeared down the hallway.

Dumbledore emerged from Pomfrey's office. He shut the curtains around the sleeping boys before skipping down the dark hallway, humming a particularly chipper variant of the Hogwarts song.

* * *

"Do you think we should wake him?" Peter asked timidly, eyes darting from James to Severus, the latter of whom had slumped forward so that his head and arms rested atop the former's legs.

"Which one?" Remus said.

"I don't know, um…"

"Snape," Sirius said. "He should get the hell out, anyway."

"Jealous, Sirius?"

"Not funny, _Remus_," he growled. "I just don't like him being here."

Peter said, "If James finds out you kicked out Snape, he'll be mad. Snape's in his bed. That's kind of his dream."

"Do you have to say it like that?!"

Severus groaned and shifted slightly. He was perfectly ready to fall back to sleep when he noticed that his pillow had bones. Jolting back into his seat, back straight, he proceeded to glare at the offending legs.

"There, problem solved," Remus said.

"What did you do to James?" Sirius shouted.

Severus sneered at him.

Remus sighed. "Please, for once let me handle this. Good morning, Snape. Is James okay?"

"Yes. Is it true you're a werewolf?"

"W-what? How did you…?"

"Potter took Veritaserum."

"Oh," Remus said weakly. "Oh, Merlin. Please don't tell anyone…"

"If you tell…" Sirius trailed off menacingly.

"What, Black? Pray tell, what precisely will you do to me?"

"I'll kill you," he vowed.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what exactly your friend would think of that?"

Sirius paused, but not for long. "He would get over it. With you dead, at least he could move on. Really, we'd all be happier if you'd just do us a favor and – "

"Broom Closet Incident," James said from the bed, his eyes still closed.

"Stop bringing that up! That wasn't what it looked like."

Peter couldn't help but ask. "What did it look like?"

James smirked. "Unspeakable things –"

"–that _never_ happened," Sirius growled.

There was a moment of silence. Remus smirked at Sirius, Sirius glared at James, James watched Severus unabashedly, and Severus glanced swiftly and often at James.

Peter stared at the floor, as he often did. He didn't like speaking. Usually, when attention was on him, it led to trouble. Still, he liked fights even less, and that seemed like the most likely outcome of the situation. Gulping, he plucked up the courage to ask, "You finally told Snape?"

James said, "Erm, yeah."

"About time," Remus said.

"I thought we agreed this was a bad idea!" Sirius yelped.

Remus frowned. "No, I thought idolizing him while clinging to old feelings for years was a bad idea. Also, lying and bullying is just awful behavior. Asking him out is a step in the right direction, at least."

Between Remus' lectures and Sirius' rants, Peter had been the only person to actually listen to James' moaning for the past five years. It was kind of sad, in his opinion, and – much like an avid viewer of a long-running soap opera – Peter was curious about the ending. "How did he react?"

"I'm not sure. I sort of fainted. We didn't exactly get a chance to talk."

"I am _right here_," Severus growled.

James clapped his hands. "Right! Good point. You three clear off. Sev…Snape and I need to talk."

When five seconds passed and the only Marauder to so much as fidget was Peter, James laughed and pulled the curtains.

* * *

"Silencio," Severus snapped. "Colloportus."

He'd have liked to use stronger spells, but at least they had some measure of privacy, now. This was uncomfortable enough without Black listening in and parting the curtains mid-conversation. He turned towards James, who smirked.

"Is this the part when we snog?"

Deciding the best course of action was to ignore him (because that had worked so terribly well in the past), Severus said. "Remus Lupin is a werewolf."

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah, he is. He's really a good bloke, though, and pretty much the only reason I passed Ancient Runes in third year. You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?"

"I have no intention of doing so."

"Oh, that's good."

Severus sighed and continued, "You were telling the truth."

"About Remus? Yeah, of course I was. That's why I took Veritaserum, remember?"

"I am well aware of your moronic downing of an unknown potion," Severus snapped.

James said, "You're the one who told me the dosage!"

"I was significantly less bothered by the thought of you dying, at the time."

"Wait, that bothers you now?" James beamed.

Severus growled, "That isn't the point."

"There's a point?"

"Yes! If you were truthful about Lupin's nature, then you were presumably truthful in your other admissions," Severus said.

"Huh?"

"Did you suffer head trauma as a child or are you naturally this thick? You fancy me!"

James blinked, frowning. "Yeah, and you saved my life. Are we just gonna keep stating obvious things?"

"It's hardly obvious-"

"I said it a bunch of times!"

"Twice is not a _bunch_, and I did not save your life, Potter," Severus sneered.

James sat up in bed, ignoring his groaning stomach, in order to glare into Severus' eyes. His dark, brooding, endless eyes...He forced himself to focus. "That's not what Madame Pomfrey said."

"When did Madame Pomfrey say anything?"

"I was awake earlier. Why do you think she wasn't running over as soon as I woke up?"

Severus paused. From his considerable experience with the Hospital Wing (mostly Potter's fault), it did seem peculiar for her to ignore a patient. Besides, it was afternoon, by now. Potter rousing earlier made sense, though it was a miracle that he hadn't woken Sev…Wait.

"Was I on your legs when you were awake?"

James laughed nervously, a light blush on his face. "Um, yeah."

"And you left me there?!" he shouted.

"You looked comfortable," James muttered, "and…"

He hesitated, before taking a deep breath and releasing the words in a torrent.

"I was worried it would never happen again so I figured I might as well enjoy it while it lasted."

Merlin, that was easier with Veritaserum.

James continued. "Erm, as long as I'm confessing everything, I guess I might as well…well, I'd like to say, I mean, ask, I mean. Dammit. Heh, sorry, I've never asked anyone out before."

"You ask Lily out constantly," Severus pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but I want her to say no."

"You expect me to believe that you've never asked anyone out? No other girls, or blokes for that matter?"

James stared at him quizzically. "Why would I do that? They aren't you."

Suddenly and acutely aware of the brunette's proximity, Severus tried to scoot his chair back…It was nailed down. Of course it was.

Unaware of the other boy's discomfort, James continued, "But you _are_ you-"

"An astounding revelation, Potter."

"So would you possibly think about going to Hogsmeade with me?"

Severus frowned. It wasn't a completely unattractive option, if only because he was now painfully aware that Potter was not a completely unattractive person. An idiot, possibly, and mildly obsessive, but perhaps not the bully he'd seemed. Besides – with Lily gone – Severus was left acutely alone.

He said, "I will consider it."

James beamed. "You won't regret this. I promise."

After a few more awkward moments where James' complete lack of personal space and silent staring left Severus twitchy, the brunette spoke softly, almost hesitantly. "Is _this_ the part where we snog?"

Severus stood. With a grumbled Alohomora, he parted the curtains.

"Potter, you smell like vomit."

"If I didn't smell like vomit, would that be a yes?"

Severus strode towards the Hospital Wing's doors without answering. Still, not answering also meant not disagreeing, and the slightest smirk flitted across his lips at James' antics. James Potter watched, eyes shining.

"That would definitely be a yes."

Sirius snorted, "A total girl."

* * *

_Three and a Half Months Later_

Severus Snape covered in bandages was not an unusual sight for the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Really, after an entire September without incident, he was long overdue. Even the snickers from the Slytherin table were fairly typical, since Severus was anything but popular in his house. People did begin to take notice, however, when Severus stomped over to the Gryffindor table. Everyone loves a good fight.

James grinned. "Hey Sev. What are you doing over here?"

He paused, suddenly remembering that they were supposed to hate each other. "…you greasy, Slytherin git."

Severus' voice was monotone. "Slytherin knows."

"Oh" – James' smile faltered, but he quickly recovered – "Good, then you can sit with us. Budge over, Sirius."

It took an elbow to the ribs for a grumbling Sirius to move, but Severus sat down. James slipped an arm around his shoulders. Several feet down the table, Lily Evans wondered if Potter had slipped hallucinogens into her tea again.

Severus frowned. "What did I say about displays of affection?"

"Not in public?" James said.

"You remembered, how surprising. You're still touching me because…?"

The brunette grinned, scooting closer. "You haven't made me stop yet."

Before Severus could draw his wand, Peter blurted out, "What happened to your face?"

"Boil Curse," Severus muttered. He snagged a piece of bacon, nibbling on it halfheartedly, his hand carefully avoiding the bandages.

"Those bastards," James said.

"Typical Slytherin move," Sirius added.

James asked, "Do you want me to beat them up?"

Severus sighed. "No."

"…Will you _let_ me beat them up?"

"No." He picked up a slice of toast, buttering it.

"Please?" James whined.

"If you don't drop it, I will castrate you," Severus said, brandishing the butter knife.

"Never mind."

Sirius laughed. "Whipped."

Severus glared. "Broom Closet Incident."

"What?" Sirius asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"James becomes _incredibly_ talkative after consuming sugar."

James laughed so hard that he nearly choked on his biscuit. Sirius turned to him, eyes wide. "You shared your blackmail with _Snape_?"

"Ah, Sev's great at keeping secrets. Right, Sev?" James said.

When Severus ignored him, the brunette continued. "Which reminds me, as long as we're talking about secrets, I've got something to share with the whole school."

He jumped to his feet cleared his throat dramatically and declared, "I'm dating Severus Snape!"

It took exactly fifteen seconds of silence before the entire Hall filled with gossip.

"He…he what?" Lily said, trying to wrap her mind around the ridiculousness of the situation. Sev and Potter. Admittedly, Potter was a git and Sev was becoming a git. But they hated each other. They'd practically tried to kill each other, a few times. How did you just forgive something like that?

Mary's eyes shone. "Oh my gosh, can you believe this?"

Lily shook her head mutely.

This had to be a prank, right? Maybe they'd gotten some polyjuice…or a very advanced glamour...a golem, maybe…and, really, now that she thought about it, there were quite a lot of ways to impersonate people.

Grace laughed. "Yeah, actually, I totally can. I saw them sneaking out of Fortescue's, back in July. Obviously a couple. They were holding hands and _everything._"

"You knew?!" Lily cried. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You said not to talk about it."

"I didn't mean with _me!_"

"Then you should've been more specific. I'm not a mind reader, Miss Perfect Prefect," Grace said.

The redhead growled. "You…"

Mary interrupted, "Oh, _that's_ why Potter stopped asking Lily out! I'd thought it was 'cause he thought she got fat."

"…You think I'm fat," Lily said flatly.

"No, I thought that Potter thought that you were fat. Big difference…Hey, do ya think Snape's still gonna join the you-know-whats, now?"

Lily paused, before slowly saying, "I don't know."

If he didn't, then maybe, just maybe, they could be friends again. As Lily listened to Grace's description of the event, covering everything from the cut of Potter's pants to the weather to the flavor of ice cream Severus bought, the thought of real, _intellectual_ conversation was more than appealing.

* * *

It was three AM, and Lily Evans really ought to have been in bed. Between the six page Potions essay that was due in three days and her snarling pillow (she blamed Potter), however, she didn't stand a chance of falling asleep. Fed up, she gathered up her books and stomped downstairs, throwing a hex at the pillow on her way out. If she was going to be awake, she might as well be productive.

The common room was silent, with every couch empty and the torches dimmed. It was sort of nice, Lily reflected. No Potter pranking her, no Mary dripping nail polish on her essays, no first years giggling in the corner. Just peace.

She walked to the fireplace, which was still lit to her surprise. Basking in the warmth, she contentedly sat on a couch…only to jump up, yelping.

There had been a very warm, very _human _lump under her. A groan came from the spot where she'd just been. Shaking, Lily raised her wand.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" she said.

A mussed head of black hair, then a pale face appeared.

Lily gasped, "Sev?"

"Lily," he said tersely, the rest of him appearing as he set a starry cloak on his lap.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Sleeping," he said.

At her questioning look, he continued, "The situation in Slytherin has proven…untenable."

Lily winced. For as long as they'd gone to Hogwarts, Severus's relationship with his housemates had been tense. His stubborn association with the Gryffindor Mudblood had ruined any chances the cold boy had of befriending the other Slytherins. Now that he was dating Potter, things could only be worse.

"What did they-"

"And you?" Severus cut her off.

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Why you are down here."

"I, um, couldn't sleep, and decided to finish Slughorn's essay."

"Ah," he said, standing. "I'll leave you to your homework."

Severus was halfway to the Fat Lady's portrait when she called out. "Wait!"

He stiffened but did not turn.

"I'm sorry…for not accepting your apology."

"Why?" Severus said softly, "I insulted you, I apologized, and it was your right to refuse that apology."

"But I shouldn't have. It was just one action, and you were my best friend…It's just, you were hanging out with Death Eater-wannabes and reading about the Dark Arts. Then you called me _that_ and…" Lily sighed, running a hand through her long hair. How to say this without hurting him more than she already had?

"…a-and I thought you were becoming a bad person."

"And now?"

"I think I was wrong," she said.

"Because I'm dating Potter?"

"Partially," she admitted. "It says something amazing about you that you forgave him – prat that he is – but, mostly, it's because you're different now. You don't seem so angry all the time, you smile more, you're always up in the tower…I can't believe I'm saying this, but Potter's _good_ for you."

"Yes," Severus murmured. "He is."

For a time, they were both silent. The fire flickered merrily, the couch looked terribly comfortable, and her Potions essay was still undone. But Lily refused to sit. She watched Severus, not daring to breathe.

Finally, he turned around. "There's an error in _Advanced Potion-Making_. Fever reducers should only be stirred counterclockwise."

"Why didn't Slughorn mention that?" she grumbled, grabbing the book to find the correct page.

"Because he rarely reads the books he assigns," Severus said.

She laughed. "Good point. You don't happen to know any other errors, do you?"

Lily settled on the couch, and – tentatively – Severus sat next to her. "Actually, yes, on page one hundred and twelve…"

It wasn't quite what they had before. Severus remained fairly withdrawn, Lily spoke very carefully, and the silences that fell between them were more awkward than not. Still, they stayed in the common room for over an hour, until Severus fell asleep to the scratching of her quill. A few minutes later, Lily rolled up her half-finished essay, draped the invisibility cloak over her friend, and practically skipped up the stairs.

* * *

**A/N:**** My first draft ended in the Hospital Wing, but it later occurred to me that I wrote a subplot with Lily without even intending to. Besides, I figured you folks would like a little more James/Severus (Severames? Jarus? Snotter?) even if that wasn't the focus. There's still a little epilogue (around 900 words) to go, and I promise to post it by the New Year.  
**

**Thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews! You guys are pretty awesome.**


	4. Epilogue

Epilogue

1979 was an important year in the history of Wizarding Britain. The First War entered its final, most violent stage, a prophecy was made and overheard, and the Longbottom's unborn son was placed in terrible danger.

Yet, for the Marauders, the most important memory of 1979 was James and Severus's wedding.

* * *

James walked down the aisle, clad in gold robes. He occasionally paused to bow, wave, and blow kisses at the laughing guests, and he high-fived Sirius upon reaching the front. Once he settled down, however, his gaze stayed firmly on Severus, sweeping from the man's dark eyes to his rich, green robes. There were rampant rumors as to precisely what James had to do to talk him out of black, ranging from the silly to the less than child-appropriate.

Several guests swear that the newlyweds' kiss lasted longer than the marriage ceremony. After some uncomfortable coughing and a well-timed explosion from James's side, they parted, and the group apparated to the Hog's Head for the reception.

Toasts were made, alcohol consumed, and a grand time was had by all. A particularly poor toss by James left Peter holding the bridal bouquet and the Gryffindor bridesmaids fuming at the indignity of it all. Remus retired to a corner to nurse his drink, valiantly fending off the drunken advances of Mary MacDonald. Another table housed James's parents, Slughorn, McGonagall, and Dumbledore – whose beard was inexplicably pink.

It wasn't long before the wedding party migrated to the dance floor.

"I thought you took dance lessons since you were six, oh pureblood heir," Severus said as James stumbled against him yet again.

"Well, yeah, but not for the girl's role!" James grumbled. "If you'd just let me lead…"

"No."

James once again stepped on his husband's shoes. At this rate, he was going to leave a permanent indent. "Sorry."

Severus snorted. "Potter, if you continue crushing my toes, our honeymoon will be in St. Mungo's."

"You can't call me Potter. Now, it's _Snape_." James grinned, his voice playful.

Severus said dryly, "I'm beginning to suspect you took my name solely so I would have to call you James."

James laughed. "That's one reason."

They danced for a while with James occasionally trying to take the lead and Severus stubbornly refusing, resulting in more collisions and a few minor casualties. James smiled, squeezing Severus's side. "Have I mentioned that I love you, lately?"

"Six times, today."

James's smile stretched across his face, and he pulled Severus a little closer

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Why are you smiling like an imbecile?"

"You _counted_."

"What?! No, I didn't count!" Severus sputtered, blushing. "That was an estimate."

"No it wasn't," James sing-songed. "Admit it. You're completely besotted with yours truly."

Severus smirked. "Well, I did marry you."

Severus leaned forward pulling James into a kiss that might well have rivaled their earlier one, had it not been rudely interrupted. A hand grabbed Severus's robes, wrapping them around the cowering form of Sirius Black.

"Hide me!"

Annoyed at the interruption, Sirius's presence behind his robes, and the best man's general existence, Severus snapped, "Black, if you slobber over my wedding robes, I will neuter you."

"Better you than her," Sirius muttered.

Severus sighed. "James?"

"Stop molesting my husband, Siri," James said. "Only I'm allowed to do that."

"Very helpful," Severus muttered.

Lily stomped over, strands of styled hair falling in front of her eyes and carefully-painted face snarling. "_Sirius_…"

"What did he do this time?" Severus sighed.

"He spiked the cake," she said.

"Our wedding cake?" Severus asked coldly.

"Exactly."

Sirius smiled weakly. "Ah, come on Lils. Where's your sense of humor? It's just a little something to spice things up."

"There are underage guests," she said, "and others who might not want to drink alcohol."

"Eh, the kids'll love it, and the only one who isn't drinking is you."

Lily turned to Severus. "I'm going to kill him."

"I'll help," he said.

Sirius let go of Severus's robes, stepping back. "I…um…it was James's idea!"

Severus raised an eyebrow, prompting a sheepish smile from the brunette. He admitted, "I might have helped with the planning."

"Of course you did."

Meanwhile, Lily groaned. "And that best man toast was awful."

"Hey, I spent all night on that," Sirius said.

"It was three words long!" Lily cried.

"At least my speech didn't put people to sleep."

"My toast did _not_ put anyone to sleep."

James leaned forward, drawing attention away from his best man. "Actually, my Aunt Elizabeth," – he quickly stepped back at Lily's glare – "Never mind."

"It was a lovely speech, Lily," Severus said.

"Thank you," she huffed.

Sirius's attempt to slink away was quickly caught by the irate redhead. She stormed after him as quickly as her high-heels would allow. In a few minutes, she'd again cornered him, gesturing wildly.

"So," James said. "Whaddaya bet they're dating by sunup?"

Severus snorted. "Po-James, you do recall that Lily can't stand Black?"

He grabbed James's hand, leading him off the dance floor and on to slightly less hazardous activities. Smirking, Severus continued, "…I give them a week."

* * *

**A/N: As always, you guys are fantastic, and it's great to hear your thoughts and opinions. Also, for those of you reading this as it's newly released and not at some indeterminate point in the future, Happy New Year! And, for all you fancy future folks, happy whatever-holiday-is-closest!**


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